Girls with Hammers

Girls with Hammers," the truck proudly proclaims--the sign of Lily's carpentry business, which ran smoothly for years until her longtime friend and coworker departed. With that loss, Lily is spinning out of control, according to live-in lover Hannah, a psychotherapist who then moves out after "a lifetime" with Lily to get a different perspective on things. When Lily's dad suddenly dies, she is faced not only with additional loss but also with the burden of taking over his construction business. Since his workers don't want to report to "a girl," she resorts to women who may have held a hammer (sometimes she wonders) and Arlo, a lanky holdover from her father's days. Will she manage to maintain her own business, run the family enterprise (against her will and better judgment), placate family members who insist she give the latter priority, and, by the way, reconcile with Hannah, who wants a baby to add to this confusing mix, which unexpectedly includes a man? A sweetly sad and funny tale that transcends its soapy components. Whitney Scott Copyright (c) American Library Association.